Page 491 of Flirting with Darkness

5

“Help me, please, I can’t find it.”

Her voice, panicked and desperate. Fenrir could not help but wake, and want to help. “What have you lost?”

“My necklace. My wolf necklace, the one that belonged to my mother.”

Fenrir could see the ivory carving in his mind’s eye, for he’d seen it sitting on Astrid’s breast every day of her life. He eyed the watery pit where they’d slept. All the ice had melted – it must be a particularly hot summer this year. Not that it mattered to him – hot or cold, he was living stone, and he would endure. He dived in.

Finally, he found it – half buried in the sand at the bottom of the hole, with only a few shreds of what used to be the woven cord that held it in place around Astrid’s neck. He’d probably damaged it with his claws when he’d threatened her.

“I found it, but the necklace is broken. I will make you a new one. One that does not break so easily,” Fenrir promised. He leaped out of the hole and turned to offer the carving to her.

Astrid shrieked and tried to cover herself, but not before he’d gotten an eyeful. Oh, the gods were smiling on him today.

Reluctantly, he turned his back. “I usually keep a spare tunic and cloak in the boat. They’ll probably be too big for you, but at least it’ll be something.” He had fur to keep him warm, after all.

“There’s a boat?”

Ah, she did not have his night vision.

Fenrir found the boat easily, but the cloak had hardened, like someone had left it out in the sun. When he touched it, it cracked into pieces beneath his hand. Fortunately, it had protected the tunic, which had fared better. He held it out to Astrid. “Put it on, while I push the boat out. Once we are ashore, I will find you proper clothing, as befits a jarl’s daughter.”

He heard the rustle of her dressing, and he hurried to get the boat onto the beach.

“What if Orm’s still there, and Father still wants me to marry him?” Astrid asked.

Fenrir grinned. “Then they will both have to get through me before they can touch you. If you do not choose to marry the man, I promise you, they cannot make you.”

She climbed into the boat. “Then take me home, please, Fenrir. I never did thank you for saving me from that…that…”

“Slimy sea snake?” Fenrir suggested.

“I was thinking of more disgusting things, but a sea snake will do. Is this…when I call you for help, is this what you do? Wake, and push the boat out, and row ashore?”

Fenrir grinned. “Sometimes. When the call is terribly urgent, like it was last time, I don’t bother with the boat. I swim.”

Her eyes widened. “But the water’s freezing!”

He looked away. “The curse keeps me from feeling the cold.” He knew she felt guilty for casting it, though she’d had no choice, but he had to admit, it had its advantages. He didn’t need food or water or sleep or air, and his living stone skin was impervious to blades and arrows. His wolf form was superior to his human one, so he tended to stay furry most of the time. The claws came in handy.

“I wish the spell Mistress Kun cast on me kept out the cold. And you should take better care of your boat. It’s letting in too much water.”

They weren’t more than a hundred yards from the islet, and Astrid was right. They were taking on water so fast, they weren’t going to make it to the mainland short of swimming. “Can you try to bail it out with something?”

All she had were her hands, but he had to give it to her – she did her best, though it wasn’t enough. He paddled as fast as he could, but the paddles were almost as brittle as his cloak. One snapped in two and he could feel the other threatening to give.

“We’re going to have to swim,” he said grimly, grabbing Astrid around the waist as the boat slipped beneath the surface. Her teeth were already chattering from the cold, and it was warmer beneath the surface than in the polar wind, though not by much. By the time they reached the beach, her movements were so sluggish, he was swimming for them both. Then his knees hit the sand, and he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the village.

Or where the village should be.

6

Astrid awoke wrapped in the warmest furs. She couldn’t remember getting new ones, but these were definitely her favourite this winter. Or whatever season it was.

Which made no sense. It was summer, sliding into autumn, last time she remembered. Not winter. Definitely a good time for hunting and curing new furs.

Only these furs were…moving…and…

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